Catamenial appliance



March 15, 1960 D. R. ROB ER TS CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 19, 1956 INVENTOR: pan AA 0 A. Pea-"era ATTORNEY.

March 1960 D. R. ROBERTS 2,928,394

' CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE Filed April 19, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. pan A40 A? Aazaers.

CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE Donald R. Roberts, Plainfield, N.J., assignor to Personal Products Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 19, 1956, Serial No. 579,345

5 Claims. (Cl. 128-289) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in catamenial napkins and in sanitary belts for maintaining such napkins in proper position during use.

At the present time, the most common form of sanitary pad or napkin commercially available for use by women is a generally oblong, arcuate-ended pad of absorbent material enclosed within an external textile cover or wrapper. This wrapper is normally made considerably longer than the enclosed absorbent pad and provides two end extensions for attaching the napkin to a waist-encircling sanitary belt or other garment to maintain it in proper position during use.

Such a construction provides a hammock-like, twopoint suspension for the napkin, which configuration is objectionable for several reasons. Such a suspension tends to roll and shift back and forth during use as a result of bodily movements and to become distorted and deformed particularly when wetted, whereby comfort is quickly lost along with security and protection against fluid leakage or spillage over the sides thereof. Rubbing and chafing also occur from such bodily movements whereby actual discomfort and distress are often created.

Eflorts to avoid such an undesirable situation have been directed, for example, to the use of larger and more bulky sanitary devices. Other attempts utilized greater tensions on the presently used napkins by securing them in position more tightly. These variations have not worked out well but have only aggravated the irritation and discomfort.

therefor which will 'not tend to roll or shift back and 1 forth due to bodily movement during use and which will not become distorted or deformed when wetted; It is a further principal object of the present invention to provide a catamenial napkin which will continually exert slight pressures along the lines of both inner thighs rather than in a single centrally positioned line to effectively prevent any fluid leakage or spillage over the sides thereof. I 7

"Such objects'are accomplished by providing a relatively fiat, somewhat flared or pear-shaped catamenial napkin comprising an external cover, an absorbent pad and a soft inner face, said napkin being provided with two forwardly-extending fastening strips and one rearwardly-extending fastening strip for attachment to a sanitates Patenttion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawtary belt which correspondingly has two forwardly-positioned attaching tabs and one rearwardly-positioned at taching tab. The strips are of sufiicien-t length that the points of attachment between the strips and tabs are spaced from the main absorbent pad portion of the napkin. Additionally, fastening devices are provided on ings wherein: wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the improved sa itary belt; I

Fig. .2 is a rear per'spectiveview of the improved sanitarybelt;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the improved sanitary napkin;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the improved sanitary napkin; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the combination of the sanitary napkin and the sanitary belt.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the improved sanitary device comprises, as one principal component thereof, a sanitary belt comprising a resilient or elastic waist-encircling band 11 to which are attached two front attaching tabs 12 and 13 in spaced relationship by stitching 14 and 15. The points of attachment of the tabs are spaced apart a distance of from about 5 to about 1 inches, and preferably about 6 inches, in the case of a belt designed for a 22 to 34 inch waist. A rear resilient loop or elastic strap 16 is provided and is secured to the rear portion of the band 11 at spaced positions by stitching 17 and 18. Again, the points of attachment are spaced apart a distance of from about 5 to about 7 inches, and

preferably about 6 inches, in the case of a belt designed for a 22 to 34 inch waist. A rear attaching tab 19 is suspended from approximately the central portion of the rear strap 16 and is secured thereto as by stitching 20. Fastening devices 21, 22 and 23 are provided, one on each tab respectively, for attachment purposes as will be more fully described hereinafter. The angle a in Figs.

1 and 2 between the tabs and the band 11 is shown as about 45 but this angle may be varied from about to about 60 and preferably from about to about The second principal component of the improved sanitary device is a sanitary napkin 30, the main body of which, as noted in Figs. 3 and 4, has a relatively fiat, somewhat flared o'r pear-shaped outline. The main body of the napkin 30 comprises an externally positioned outer cover 31 which is either water-repellent or water-resistant, per se, or which is rubberized, latex-treated, or otherwise coated or impregnated with a thermoplastic or thermosetting material to prevent the passage of fluids therethrough and to heat 'seal the component parts.

The external cover 31 is provided with two forwardlyextending fastening strips 33 and 34 at the base or wider portion thereof and arearwardly-extending fastening strip 35 at the apex or narrower portion thereof. Each strip is provided with openings which are shown at 35, 35 in the rear strip and at 36, 37, 38 and 39 in the front strips. Any number or any'combination of numbers of these openings can be provided. These openings cooperate with the previously-described fastening devices 21, 22, and 23 whereby the sanitary napkin can be adjustably positioned for proper use. As noted in Figs. 1 and 2, the attaching device 23 has a curved, metallic clasp having a centrally positioned loop 23 which is adapted to receive the openings and to permit relatively free pivotalmovement thereof. It is to be appreciated that substantially any type of fastening device may be employed provided it is capable of permitting a relatively-free pivotal movement between the strip and the tab) extending strips to follow the inguinal angle on the body of the wearer when said appliance is worn, and fastening devices on said tabs for effecting attachment of said strips thereto at points spaced from the cover, pad and facing of said napkin.

4. A catamenial appliance comprising in combination, a disposable catamenial napkin comprising a relatively flat, flared, repellent external cover, a loosely compacted pad of highly absorbent material having an inner facing of soft absorbent material, said cover and said inner facing extending beyond the periphery of said pad to form marginal portions, said cover and said facing being joined at said marginal portions, a pair of forwardly extending strips at the wider portion of said cover and a rearwardly extending strip at the narrow portion of said cover, and a sanitary belt comprising a resilient, waist encircling band, a pair of front tabs on said band for attachment to the forwardly extending strips of the napkin, a rear tab on said band for attachment to the rearwardly extending strip of said napkin, the front tabs on said band being so spaced apart on said band and so angularly positioned thereon, and the forwardly extending strips on said napkin being so angularly positioned with respect to said napkin as to cause said front tabs and said forwardly extending strips to follow the inguinal angle on the body of the wearer when said appliance is worn, and fastening devices on said tabs for effecting attachment of said strips thereto, said devices being capable of providing relative pivotal movement between the strips and the tabs.

5. A disposable catamenial napkin comprising a relatively flat, flared, water repellent external cover, a loosely compacted pad of highly absorbent material, an inner facing of soft absorbent material covering said pad, said cover and said inner facing extending beyond the periphery of said pad to form marginal portions, said cover and said facing being joined at said marginal portions, a pair of forwardly extending strips at the wider portion of said cover and a rearwardly extending strip at the narrow portion of said cover, said forwardly extending strips being so angularly positioned with respect to said napkin as to follow the inguinal angle on the body ofthe wearer when said napkin is worn attached to a sanitary belt hav ing a resilient, waist encircling band, a pair of front tabs on said band for attachment to the forwardly extending strips of the napkin, a rear tab on said band for attachment to the rearwardly extending strip of said napkin, the front tabs on said band being so spaced apart on said band and so angularly positioned thereon as to follow the inguinal angle on the body of the wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

